Claire Danes to star in Showtime pilot

NEW YORK, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Claire Danes has signed on to star in the pilot for a television drama series called "Homeland," Showtime said Thursday.

The former star of "My So-Called Life" won an Emmy Award for her work in the TV movie "Temple Grandin" this year. Her film credits include "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet," "The Hours" and "The Family Stone."

Her next project is as the lead in a one-hour drama pilot from the executive producers of "24," it was announced by Showtime President of Entertainment David Nevins. A production of FOX 21, the series is loosely based on Gideon Raff's Israeli television series "Prisoners of War."

Set to begin production in January, the pilot will be directed by Michael Cuesta. Casting for the role of Sergeant Scott Brody, the male lead, will be announced shortly, the cable TV network said.

The show is about an American soldier taken prisoner during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Left for dead, he returns to the United States after years in captivity.

Danes plays Carrie Anderson, a CIA officer battling her own psychological demons, who becomes convinced the intelligence that led to the soldier's re-capture was a setup and that he may be connected to an al-Qaida plot to be carried out on American soil, Showtime said in a synopsis of the series.